Sending a mixed message
NEW YORK – Fiddling with your iPhone behind the wheel can get you fined across much of the nation. But many states are more than happy to tweet you with up-to-the-minute directions on how to steer clear of a traffic jam.
It is a mixed signal that some safety experts and politicians say could be dangerous.
At least 22 states that ban texting while driving offer some type of service that allows motorists to get information about traffic tie-ups, road conditions or emergencies via Twitter .
“You shouldn’t be fiddling around with any kind of electronic gadget in your car while driving,” said Minnesota state Rep. Frank Hornstein, who helped write his state’s no-texting-while-driving law.
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have banned all texting while driving, and eight others prohibit texting by younger drivers only, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Many of these laws essentially bar people from fooling with their smart phones in any way behind the wheel; in some cases, just reading from a mobile device is against the law.
Some supporters of text-messaging bans say that states that provide traffic information via Twitter are undermining these laws.
Let’s see: we will be happy to Tweet you if there is a traffic issue, but you are not allowed to text and drive. Yep, typical government intelligence to contradict itself. You get what you voted for.
Although I hate to point this out as it might look like politicians occasionally think, but perhaps they were thinking that the person receiving the Tweets would be sitting at their computer and will use the Tweeted info to change the way they were going to get to or from work. Of course, that is still minimal thinking, but shows the politicians might be thinking when making laws.
Electronic gadgets: microwave (at least one exists), cell phone, gps, and the less remembered electronic ‘gadgets’: radio and the car itself. Paper maps okay
its about time,I have to sit through soo many lights because some idiot is on the phone or texting
I hope more states do this. My cousin and his girlfriend were nearly killed a few weeks ago when some guy, who was using his phone, hit them at 60 mph. They were sitting at a stop light.
They were in the backseat. The gas tank was scratched–so it could have been worse, but they were nearly crushed.